With 49 days until South Carolina football kicks off 2026, a look back at No. 49 Robert Brooks

South Carolina football will take the field for the first time in 2026 on September 5 against Kent State. Williams-Brice Stadium will play host to the Gamecocks and Golden Flashes at 12:45 p.m., just 49 days from today. To be frank, 49 has not been the most popular number in the history of the South Carolina football program. However, one wide receiver (yes, you read that correctly) was a star for the Gamecocks while wearing it. Robert Brooks was No. 49 from 1988 to 1991. Questions about this story? Kevin Miller is discussing it with subscribers on The Insiders Forum. Brooks hails from Greenwood, South Carolina, where he was a star running back for the Greenwood Eagles. He nearly went to Clemson but saw a chance at early playing time with the Gamecocks. However, to get on the field quickly, Brooks had to switch positions to play receiver for head coach Joe Morrison. The move paid off. Earning Freshman All-American honors, Brooks logged over 500 yards as a pass-catcher and another 600 on kickoff returns as the Gamecocks’ leading receiver and top return man. He found the end zone five times, once on a 98-yard kickoff return and four times on receptions. 1988 was the first of four consecutive seasons in which Brooks led South Carolina in receiving. He is the only player in Gamecock history to accomplish that feat. That year, he also set a record for the longest pass caught by a USC freshman, a 97-yard touchdown from Todd Ellis against East Carolina. His one-handed touchdown grab in a win over Georgia remains one of the best in school history. As a sophomore in ’89, Brooks was excellent again, nearly matching his freshman production despite the Carolina passing offense being significantly worse under first-year head coach Sparky Woods. When Bobby Fuller took over at quarterback the following season (he had played for Woods at Appalachian State before transferring to USC), he found a new favorite target in Brooks. No. 49’s junior and senior seasons were his most prolific as a receiver, as he combined for 88 catches, 1232 yards, and 11 touchdowns. As a senior, Brooks earned All-South Independent honors in the final year before the Gamecocks joined the SEC. He also held the program’s receiving touchdown record at the time of his graduation. He remains T-4th in receiving touchdowns, 7th in receptions, and 7th in receiving yardage. When combining offensive production and kick returns, only George Rogers and Brandon Bennett have more all-purpose yardage. See other jersey countdown stories like this on GamecockCentral.com. Following the conclusion of his South Carolina career, the Green Bay Packers picked Brooks in the 1992 NFL Draft. As a third-rounder, he joined fellow Gamecock Sterling Sharpe in the Packers’ receiving room. He was part of the rotation for two years before bursting onto the scene in 1994. Brooks became a full-time starter in his third season, and after Sharpe’s unfortunate career-ending injury, he took over his mantle of being one of the best receivers in the league. Brooks had 102 catches, 1497 yards, and 13 touchdowns (including a record 99-yarder) in 1995. That year, he also popularized (and later trademarked) the “Lambeau Leap” touchdown celebration. The former Gamecock went on to win a Super Bowl with the team and earned induction into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2007. The University of South Carolina Lettermen’s Athletics Hall of Fame enshrined Brooks in 2003. The (state of) South Carolina Football Hall of Fame followed suit in 2023.